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Harry Potter himself is shutting down his own creator's views on gender identity and trans people, and his message about equality is pretty magical.

Daniel Radcliffe responded to J.K. Rowling's controversial thoughts about the subject through an essay on The Trevor Project -- an org that advocates for suicide prevention in the LGBTQ community -- and begged J.K. (he calls her Jo) to have a change of heart.

He wrote, "Transgender women are women. Any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people and goes against all advice given by professional health care associations who have far more expertise on this subject matter than either Jo or I."

He went on to cite alarming stats about discrimination against trans youth and non-binary people, writing, "It’s clear that we need to do more to support transgender and nonbinary people, not invalidate their identities, and not cause further harm."

ICYMI ... J.K. caught a ton of flak this weekend for nitpicking the phrase "people who menstruate" which she came across in a NYT headline. Her feeling is ... only women menstruate, so when talking about that -- we supposedly oughta just refer to them.

The Internet fired back at her, pointing out trans men and others who don't identify with traditional gender identities ... can also menstruate. J.K. doubled and tripled down, refusing to cede ground and pissing off many Potter fans in the process.

Monday's memorial proved even more historic after Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo declared Tuesday, June 9 George Floyd Day throughout their area.

The people of Houston are paying their respects to George Floyd in his hometown -- a public viewing will be followed by his final memorial service ... and TMZ's streaming it live.

The ceremony is being held at the Fountain of Praise Church. The public will have a chance to see George's casket ahead of the memorial service.

This marks the third of four memorials that have been planned and carried out for George -- you'll recall, he was honored in Minneapolis last week (where he was killed) and then again in North Carolina (his birth state) over the weekend. Now, he'll be remembered in H-Town, where he grew up.

The man's death has touched millions of people around the world -- having sparked international protests and demonstrations in his name ... and could lead to the dismantling of Minneapolis' police department ... and possibly other cities as well.

The cops involved in his killing have been criminally charged -- namely, Derek Chauvin ... who's facing second-degree murder for having his knee on George's neck for nearly 9 minutes. The other 3 officers, Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao, have also been charged with felonies, aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.

Rest in Peace, George.

Joe Biden is in Houston to pay his respects to George Floyd, and also took time to sit and listen to George's family members express their pain.

According to the Floyd family lawyer, Ben Crump, the presidential hopeful met privately with George's family and listened to them for more than an hour.

Crump says, "Listening to one another is what will begin to heal America" and during the meeting, Biden "listened, heard their pain, and shared in their woe." He adds, "That compassion meant the world to this grieving family."

Biden was photographed after the meeting with George's uncle, Roger Floyd, along with Crump, Rev. Al Sharpton and Rep. Cedric Richmond.

The former VP will also tape a video message for Floyd's funeral service Tuesday in Houston, but will not be attending because he doesn't want to cause disruptions with Secret Service protection. The first part of Floyd's hometown memorial, a public viewing session, is currently underway.

Biden's been vocal and supportive of the nationwide protests in George's honor. President Trump has also said he supports peaceful protesting and even suggested on Friday, George is smiling down on America.

As L.A.'s largest protest yet of George Floyd's killing made its way through Hollywood streets -- with huge celebs showing support -- YG used it as a powerful backdrop for his new "F**k the Police" music video.

The peaceful demonstration of more than 50,000 people began Sunday on Hollywood Blvd ... and the aerial views were epic. YG teamed up with BLM LA and joined activist and BLM co-founder Patrisse Cullors at the front of the crowd to share some words and explain the importance of using his voice.

Much of the crowd came equipped with face masks, homemade BLM signs and messaging to remember the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and so many other black people killed by police.

YG also used the huge protest as the music video setting for his newly released track, "F**k the Police" ... which he shot during the event. Speaking of which, police presence during the march was minimal, and it remained a totally peaceful event.

Other celebs in attendance included Jamie Foxx, J Lo, A-Rod, Machine Gun Kelly, Vanessa Hudgens, Mod Sun, Margaret Qualley, Kaia Gerber, Michael Rappaport, Madeline Petsch, Karreuche Tran, Ireland Baldwin and Marlon Wayans.

There were separate protests in other parts of L.A as well, including Compton, which was attended by Russell Westbrook, Cassie and Alex Fine.

Sunday's event followed the success of protests last Tuesday which ended outside the home of L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti. Lizzo, Kehlani and Common were among those who marched ... it was shortly after that protest when Garcetti announced an enormous, $150 million cut, from the LAPD's budget.

President Trump's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is defaced again beyond recognition -- and this time it appears a George Floyd protester left their mark.

The star along Hollywood Blvd. was vandalized at some point this weekend with someone using black spray paint to completely black out the star. It kinda blends in with the surrounding sidewalk now -- and for good measure, the vandal left a bag of crap on top.

As if that wasn't clear enough on how whoever did this felt about the Prez, someone went ahead and tagged BLM nearby as well. This shouldn't come as a huge shock as an estimated 50,000 people marched down Hollywood Blvd Sunday, right past Trump's star.

The President's caught a lot of flak for how he's responded to the civil unrest around the country ... so, like we said, no surprise.

We're told LAPD has yet to respond to the vandalism. As usual, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce will have to come clean up this mess eventually.

And, just for funsies ... here's a quick recap of what this slab of marble's been through over the past 4 years -- it's been jackhammered, painted, pickaxed ... and even (fake) peed on by George Lopez.

We've seen it before ... and you know we'll see it again.

Cops have a Seattle gunman in custody after he drove his car down a crowded street of peaceful protesters and shot a person who tried to stop him.

It was a terrifying scene Sunday evening as the black car came barreling down a street ... forcing people to run and jump out of the suspect's path.

He slowed down as he approached a barricade, and a few people reached into his car ... trying to stop him before he reached a much more crowded street. That's when he opened fire, shooting one male victim ... then stopped his car and got out brandishing the handgun.

Onlookers from surrounding buildings screamed in horror, and the gunman started running through a packed street of people protesting the killing of George Floyd.

Seattle PD was able to track down the gunman before anyone else was injured and they now have him in custody.

Miss Lawrence says Black Lives Matter applies to each and every black life -- especially those in the LGTBQ community ... this in the wake of the brutal beating of Iyanna Dior.

The Bravo TV personality -- who identifies as gender non-conforming -- spoke out against the vicious attack on Iyanna, a trans woman, in Minneapolis ... where she was pummeled by multiple men after allegedly causing a fender bender.

The video of the attack is incredibly disturbing ... so much so, we've opted not to include it, but it's out there. Miss Lawrence has strong thoughts about the violence, and what it says about a very real rift in the black community.

For starters, he says this divide over who is included in BLM shouldn't exist at at all. Miss Lawrence says the B is NOT exclusive to heterosexual, cis-gender members whatsoever.

Watch ... he also says it's time to strive for the kind of equality great civil and gay rights icons fought to attain, because it's an election year!

Members of the Minneapolis City Council say they're overruling Mayor Jacob Frey and WILL commit to dismantling their police department -- meaning, get rid of it completely.

The stunning announcement was made Sunday, with nine out of thirteen members coming out in support of the idea, which gives them a majority that can't be vetoed by Mayor Frey.

So, what does it mean exactly? Welp, the council members admit it won't be an immediate change -- but make no mistake, they say when the dust settles, Minneapolis will not have a traditional police department.

The alternative, according to them, is community-based safety ... a term they've yet to fully explain.

The announcement comes the day after Mayor Frey was publicly shamed for refusing to, as he put it, "fully abolish" the police department.

That's what he said when put on the spot by a rally organizer ... and that response got him booed off the street, as he walked through a sea of middle fingers in his face.

This new development -- less than 2 weeks after George Floyd was killed -- is potentially monumental if Minneapolis actually does it and makes it work.

We have a new "Karen" -- this one is in Arizona -- and this time she didn't walk away clean ... instead, she got handled with a slap to the face.

This went down Saturday at a Phoenix gas station, where a middle-aged white woman stormed inside demanding to be helped after her pump outside was apparently not working. An argument ensued between her and a younger woman who was being helped at the counter.

While you don't hear it initially, the guy recording says he just heard "Karen" tell the other woman she needs to go back to her country. She also tells the clerk -- on camera -- not to serve the woman.

Eventually, both women got in each other's faces, and after "Karen" got handsy, the other woman slapped her square on the jaw. "Karen" stormed out in a huff.

The overreacting, racist behavior we've seen plenty of lately -- but this outcome was much different. Maybe even ... refreshing? Sure, let's go with that.

Beyonce has a message for the class of 2020 -- bet on yourself ... and pave your own path, especially if you're in the minority.

The singer gave a commencement speech Sunday for YouTube's virtual "Dear Class of 2020" ceremony, and it was chock full of good advice for young people heading out into the world after finishing college -- or for folks who are heading into college right out of high school.

First off, she thanked Barack and Michelle Obama for introducing her, then got right into it by addressing the killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor.

She told the grads they're navigating a volatile and crucial time in history ... and congratulated them for all they'd accomplished in the last 2 weeks -- referencing the nationwide marches and protests.

Bey said black lives matter, queer lives matter ... and anyone else who falls into an "other" category also matters. She then went on to explain how grads could amplify their own lives and voices in the workforce -- by investing in themselves and believing in their dreams.

Here's an example of true healing playing out in a very biblical sense -- a group of white police officers and other community members came together to wash their black brother's and sister's feet ... and asked for forgiveness.

Check out this moving scene that was captured Saturday in Cary, North Carolina ... where, during BLM demonstrations, a handful of white folks came together to clean the feet of black religious leaders, while offering a prayer repenting for the sins inflicted on black people at large.

There's one man with a megaphone leading the prayer, and he acknowledges there's one race of people ... going on to ask for forgiveness for their white ancestors enslaving, mistreating and oppressing African-Americans.

A Milwaukee-area woman hocked a loogie at a young black man who was part of a BLM protest ... which she allegedly tried blocking off with her car.

The whole thing was captured on video this weekend out in Shorewood, WI -- just outside of Milwaukee -- and you can see this older lady was surrounded by younger folks who were there for the protest. Supposedly, she'd blocked their path with her vehicle.

In the clip, you hear a lot of people telling her to go back to her car and to get out of their way, but she refuses ... defiantly standing her ground and arguing back with the group.

Then, the truly nasty moment ... as one of the youngins approached to shout her down, the woman launched a wad of saliva at the dude. It clearly caught him by surprise and, rightfully, people were pissed.

Somehow, cooler heads prevailed ... as a handful of people stepped in to block her off from getting tackled, or worse. The protesters showed incredible restraint, especially the young black man who got spit on.

BTW, things did not end here -- apparently, the woman called the cops on herself because she was afraid for her safety, and later on they came to her house to figure out what happened.

A black business owner says he's getting the shaft just because his white landlord saw video of him at a peaceful protest, and assumed he was looting.

The business owner, Jeremiah Johnson, got video of his confrontation with the landlord near Des Moines, Iowa. Jeremiah runs a fashion/retail biz called Stylent Brands, and rents office space ... or at least he did.

Apparently, his landlord saw Jeremiah and some of his partners in a recent protest while he was watching the news, and decided he didn't want Jeremiah conducting biz on his property anymore.

In the clip, you see Jeremiah trying to get a reason for why he was being evicted -- but after a lengthy conversation, the only thing the landlord has to say is ... being around "illegal activity" is just as bad as partaking in it. That's pretty much his whole rationale.

Jeremiah explained he was NOT participating in any of the looting or rioting that had occurred in Des Moines, but that wasn't good enough for the landlord. He tells Jeremiah that if he was in his shoes, he'd be nowhere near that scene -- implying that Jeremiah and co. should've known better.

It gets even crazier though ... Jeremiah says the landlord sent his attorney an email, allegedly saying they were out there protesting for rights they hadn't yet earned or deserved!!!

So, where do things stand now? Jeremiah says he's taking the dude to court, and is waiting to get before a judge to plead his case. Obviously, he's alleging racial discrimination, but also violation of first amendment rights and violating the lease he signed.

Elmer Fudd is losing one of his signature items for the rebooted 'Looney Tunes' on HBO Max -- the guy's going gun-less moving forward ... but has other lethal weapons at his disposal.

The news was confirmed this weekend as people noticed the new animated series doesn't feature any firearms -- with one of the EPs telling the NYT, "We're not doing guns." Obviously, Elmer Fudd -- a hunter -- uses a rifle/shotgun in the OG cartoon show. Ditto for  Yosemite Sam -- he uses pistols -- who will also be without his usual weaponry from now on.

Funny enough, Elmer and Sam still get to use incredibly dangerous artillery in their never-ending pursuit of Bugs Bunny ... Elmer gets a scythe, and Sam is reportedly going with a grass hook. Of course, they still have access to dynamite and other ACME-certified products.

Lo and behold, a lot of people are "outraged" over this, accusing WB and HBO of going soft to appease to this generation's PC sensibilities ... especially as it pertains to gun violence.

It does seem a bit hypocritical to ban guns, but not other explosives that are depicted with as much verve and explicit violence as Elmer's rifle and Sam's pistols used to be in the old days.

Cops tossing explosives, charging at protesters and protesters hurling bottles and rocks -- that was the ugly scene in Seattle after a violent clash.

What had been a peaceful protest looked more like a war zone Saturday evening right around sunset. Seattle PD says it warned demonstrators to stop pushing barricades, and then some people in the crowd started throwing all sorts of objects at cops.

This video, shot by someone right in the thick of the skirmish, is alarming. Cops, mostly on bicycles, fired off pepper spray and multiple flash-bang explosives in an attempt to advance their line and push back the crowd.

Seattle PD says 2 of its officers had to get treatment for wounds. It's unclear how many protesters were injured.

A BLM protest in Florida this weekend became 10 times more impactful with the presence of one man who also lost a son to racial violence ... one Tracy Martin, Trayvon's dad.

Tracy attended a demonstration Saturday in Miramar, FL where a bunch of people -- including Rick Ross, had gathered to protest the killing of George Floyd.

Of course, Renzel is used to commanding a crowd, but at this event, it was a little different.

Everyone was laser-focused on Tracy ... who reminded the crowd how long it's been since his own son was needlessly and unjustly killed by George Zimmerman. It's been more than 8 years, and Tracy has it down to the day.

He also talked about something that applied in Trayvon's case and still does today -- the fact black people need a "manuscript" to follow if they want to leave their homes and survive police brutality.